The Republican National Committee raised $23.5 million in August, the committee said on Wednesday, a record-setting haul for a nonelection year August.
The August fundraising figure brings the committee’s total cash on hand to $53.8 million, the most money the RNC has had in the bank since September 2016. The latest fundraising haul was first reported late Tuesday by Fox News.
The $23.5 million total only includes contributions made directly to the RNC and not to any joint fundraising committee.
{mosads}While the party that holds the White House typically enjoys a significant fundraising advantage, the fundraising haul is staggering for an off-cycle year. In August 2017, for instance, the RNC raised less than $7.3 million. And in August 2015, as the party was in the midst of a heated presidential primary, the committee brought in $7.7 million.
The latest fundraising total is likely to further expand the RNC’s cash advantage over its Democratic counterpart, the Democratic National Committee (DNC), which has long struggled to match the RNC’s fundraising. The DNC has yet to announce its August fundraising figures.
A spokesperson for the RNC said that the committee was spending the money on efforts to expand Republicans’ electoral map in 2020 in states like New Mexico, where President Trump held a rally on Tuesday night.
In a statement, RNC Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel credited “boycotts from Hollywood liberals” and Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), the brother of Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro, tweeting out a list of Trump’s donors in San Antonio for the fundraising boost.
“Thanks to boycotts from Hollywood liberals and the Castro brothers doxxing private citizens who support President Trump, the RNC’s fundraising hit record levels in August,” McDaniel said.
“The more Democrats demonize President Trump and his supporters, the more boots we can put on the ground to re-elect him. Between the President’s accomplishments and our grassroots infrastructure, Republicans are going to be unstoppable in 2020!”